In memorializing Ian “Scotty” Morrison, who passed away last week, Carol Moffatt said he was “a fine man, a loving father, an National Hockey League (NHL) icon, and a good family friend.”

While tributes have been pouring in from the NHL, the Hockey Hall of Fame, national sports streaming channels, and national newspapers, Scotty is being remembered locally for his time in the Highlands.

He and wife Joan lived in the GTA during Scotty’s career as an NHL official, referee in chief, executive, and later as a president, chairman, and chief executive officer, of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

The couple moved to the cottage in Haliburton County before Scotty left for B.C. in 2018.

Moffatt recalled how her mom and dad, Bruce and Betty, visited often with the Morrisons “and, of course, with Scotty’s immeasurable contributions to the community, they saw each other often when out and about.”

‘He was just this lovely man’

She went on to describe Scotty as a man “of fierce pride, integrity and conviction. His generosity was incomparable and his contributions abundant.”

CanoeFM manager Roxanne Casey met Scotty when she was working with Community Care, and through his involvement with the Scotty Morrison Charity Hockey Tournament. She then had dealings with him when he was honourary chair of the Canoe board 2017-2019. She recalled how she had a cousin visit from Scotland and Scotty toured her cousin by boat around the lake. 705-286-3167 • 94 Bobcaygeon Rd DOWNTOWN MINDEN info@riverview-furniture.com www.riverview-furniture.com

“He was just this most lovely man. He would do anything for Haliburton County. He was involved with so many organizations. There was nothing you could say about him that wasn’t gentlemanly. If you were lucky enough to have him involved in your organization, he was a champion for whatever organization he was involved in.”

Scotty also did a once-a-week hockey talk show with Paul Cameron on CanoeFM. “Scotty loved doing that. If he was away from here, he would phone in. If he was here, he would come in. And he was always giving away Hockey Hall of Fame tickets.” He would tease Casey, as she didn’t like hockey.

Casey added that Scotty also worshipped his family. Former NHL player, and Dysart et al deputy mayor, Walt McKechnie, said, “he was just such a positive, upbeat guy in the community. He always did all kinds of things for charity. He loved the community.”

Surprise party

The community surprised Morrison with a Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers on Dec. 28, 2016. About 120 people were on hand, along with the Stanley Cup. VIP’s included former Hockey Hall of Fame president and CEO Jeff Denomme, former OPP commissioner Julian Fantino, and senior vice president of hockey operations with the NHL, the late, Jim Gregory.

A surprised Morrison thanked the crowd “from the bottom of my heart. This has just been a very special day that I will obviously never forget. I will wear the small badge with honour.”

Speaking to the hockey tournament, former HHHS foundation chair Don Popple said on the night, “we got the NHL, we got the Stanley Cup, we got the hall of fame and we got this group of hockey personnel that classed up our tournament completely. Scotty has a great deal of passion towards any job he decides to do and that is why we are celebrating today.” The tournament ran for seven years.

On the night, Dysart et al mayor Murray Fearrey spoke of Morrison’s commitment to community, no matter where he’s been.

“When he came to Haliburton, he was instantly accepted and fit in and he got involved. It was his personality. He is just a very good, solid person, with a love of family.”

Morrison was born in Montreal in 1930 and died in B.C. Feb 25 at the age of 95.

Dysart et al mayor Murray Fearrey told County of Haliburton council at its last meeting that his township will continue to fight a proposed development of 25 residential lots, 38 cottage lots, and three blocks for waterfront access, as well as condominium roads, fronting Elephant Lake.

Director of planning, Elizabeth Purcell, brought the file to the Feb. 25 County council meeting. Her report included background information on a proposed draft plan of subdivision and common element condominium.

She said some of her initial key findings are that the land contains provincially-significant wetlands, watercourses, and regulatory floodplain areas, “creating significant environmental constraints.”

She added her preliminary review, “identifies potential consistency issues with the 2024 Provincial Planning Statement, particularly regarding rural development, natural heritage, and flood hazards.”

She said the developers are proposing private wells and septic systems, with multiple technical studies having been submitted to support the suitability. She said other, key, supporting studies, such as an environmental impact study, hydrogeology, lakeshore capacity, boating capacity, stormwater, archeology, and landfill review are now under third-party peer review.

Purcell noted a related official plan amendment was denied by Dysart et al council and appealed to the Ontario Land Tribunal.

During a short discussion, coun. Jennifer Dailloux asked about the sensitive wetlands, and the fact the developers are saying property owners would not be able to access them to get to the shoreline. Rather than every lot accessing the lake, the plan calls for three blocks for waterfront access.

Fearrey condemns development on sensitive wetlands

Dailloux asked how that would be enforced to ensure people are not accessing the lake from their lots. “Who would be responsible? How often would they be checking. What’s the teeth behind that?”

Purcell said it was a bit of a “precarious situation because people are people and if you have a shoreline lot, a lot of people would like to access the water from their own lot. It would be an enforcement matter through the Municipality of Dysart, or through the province, as it is a provincially-significant wetland.”

Dailloux then asked Dysart what it thought would be possible from an enforcement standpoint.

Fearrey told her, “that’s one of the reasons we turned it down. We can’t handle this. If they get this approved, then we might as well forget about trying to protect our lakes and our wetlands. It’s just a terrible proposal. So, we’re going to fight it as hard as we can to make sure it gets defeated.”

Purcell said the land is now vacant with existing access via Benoir Lake Road. She said the site is 122 hectares, with a little over 1.6 km of frontage on the road, and more than three kilometres on the lake.

The planning director said the County received the file Feb. 9. Staff will make its recommendation at a later date.

People can submit comments, be notified, or get additional information from epurcell@haliburtoncounty.ca or 705-286-1333 x 222.

Purcell noted if a person, or public body, does not make written submissions to the County before the approval authority gives, or refuses to give, approval they are not entitled to appeal the decision to the Ontario Land Tribunal.

When Sara Burtch was in elementary school, she remembers filling out a career aptitude test giving students a list of jobs their personality and interests most align with.

“I got plumber – and everybody made fun of me for it. So, I never really looked into it the way I should or took it seriously,” Burtch said.

Now, years later, she’s enjoying a fulfilling career working with G.J. Burtch Construction. Four years into her foray in the trades, Burtch tells The Highlander it’s the best decision she’s ever made.

“It’s funny, because now I can do a lot of the things a plumber does. I can change filters and swap out toilets. It’s made me wonder how, if everyone hadn’t laughed at me, would I have gone down this path years ago? I have a daughter who is interested in construction. I don’t want women growing up today going through the things I did, thinking ‘I can’t do that because that’s a man’s job’.”

With that in mind, Burtch is one of the driving forces behind the Haliburton County Home Builders Association’s (HCHBA) new ‘women in construction’ group. She and Aggie Tose, HCHBA’s executive officer, got the idea after attending a Canadian home builders national conference last fall and hearing from other regional entities how successful they’d been developing women-only meets.

An inaugural gathering is being held at The Link in Haliburton March 6 from 10 to 11:30 a.m.

“We’re hoping to get more women out to volunteer and start having more of a presence in the community. Our long-term plan is to have our own board for women in the trades,” Burtch said.

Over the past few months, Burtch said she’s been developing her own inventory of women that she knows are working in the industry – noting, after talking with her husband, Andrew, and father-in-law, Gary, that numbers are way up from even 10 years ago.

“There have always been a few around Haliburton, but it was not really talked about. Even for me – a lot of people know my husband, but I’m often the one carrying the extra load that he can’t get to. I’m hoping to reach a lot of these women in the background that perhaps we don’t know about who might be willing to come forward and start to get more involved,” Burtch said, noting the group is open to anyone – not just HCHBA members.

Burtch will be at Hal High next month for HCHBA’s annual job fair. While she’ll be actively promoting opportunities at her firm, she’s also willing to discuss all potential career paths in the trades for young women. Through this new group, she’s hoping to develop a pool of workers willing to go into the high school to talk about how they broke in.

“Something where we can bring a female plumber or electrician in to speak to kids about their journey, because we all have a story,” Burtch said.

She noted HCHBA routinely assists young professionals – men and women – starting on their path to purchase tools and get help with training.

Burtch believes encouraging more women to pursue careers in the trades would benefit the industry.

“And not just in terms of numbers, but in perspective too,” Burtch said. “Don’t be put off by failing or feeling like you don’t know enough. When I first went out working with my husband, I thought it was a huge mistake. Then the more he talked about things, the more I learned. Before long, I was making suggestions to him about how to try something a different way.

“Men and women look at things differently, so to have both perspectives, I find, it really helps to see things a little clearer and get more of a full picture,” she added.

On a recent Friday afternoon, Dylan Cooney was busy washing OPP vehicles at the detachment in Minden.

The Gr. 9 student is the first of his kind in Ontario – as the local cop shop pilots a program that could extend across the province. He comes in for two hours every Friday to wash car exteriors.

The 15-year-old said he’s always liked police cars, and policing in general, and has an interest in the military.

“I figured this would be a good way to start it off.” By starting it off, he means one day potentially working in either policing or the military.

He’s so far enjoying the work and interacting with the officers. “You get to talk to them and see the other side, when they are not out on the streets.”

One day, he too would like to make the community a safer place. “You want to make sure there’s no speeders because there are more accidents. There are more dangerous drivers out there now and the OPP is there to help people in need.”

The student car washer is just one of three youth initiatives emanating from the OPP detachment in Minden. It is also starting a youth in policing academy, and hiring its first-ever summer student.

Haliburton Highlands OPP detachment commander Deb McClure recalls being exposed to the DARE (drug abuse resistance education) program when she was in school. DARE is a police officerled series of classroom lessons that teaches children from kindergarten to Grade 12 how to resist peer pressure and live productive drug and violence-free lives.

McClure said “that officer did make an impression on me.”

She said the three programs are all about positive interaction between cops and kids, and maybe helping with recruitment one day.

“Recruiting, in general, is just really important to me; especially coming here and learning we haven’t had a ton of applicants from the community,” McClure said. She added she is keen to share “the great opportunity this is as a career, and showing them so they can see for themselves. That is a motivator for me.

“It is a very critical time for youth. If they have some positive engagement with us – because a lot of time they are only seeing the negative engagement – it can touch someone’s life and is why it is a passion of mine for sure.”

Youth in policing academy

The ‘youth in policing academy’ is now accepting applications from students in Grades 9-12, who live in the Highlands, and are interested in learning more about a career in policing.

McClure said participants will gain handson insight into a variety of policing areas, including general patrol duties, major criminal investigations, canine services, emergency response, forensic identification, and impaired driving investigations.

The academy will be hosted at the detachment Wednesdays from 5-7 p.m., starting March 25, and concluding April 29.

Applications are available at the detachment in Minden, or at the front desk of Haliburton Highlands Secondary School. Applications can be submitted at either location. The application deadline is March 9. Successful applicants will be notified by email.

McClure said she hopes the academy becomes an annual thing.

Summer student

Meanwhile, the detachment is looking to hire a summer student in 2026. It’s the first time they have gotten one under the Canada Summer Jobs program.

They are looking for a student, or recent graduate, seeking “meaningful work experience, transferable skills, and the chance to grow your professional network.”

Apply online through the OPS Careers Portal (GoJobs.gov.on.ca) and search for job ID 239472.

Haliburton Highlands Nordic Trails Association (HHNTA) president Thom Lambert said Glebe Park has never looked better, amid a backdrop of over 100 skiing enthusiasts enjoying the site’s five-kilometre system Feb. 28.

The association was celebrating a $105,700 capital grant from the provincial government’s Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF), with the money used to climate proof trails in the park.

Lambert said the work – supporting water flow management and allowing for proper drainage – will make it possible to ski earlier and later in the season, while also preserving the integrity of the trails through severe climate events. The money was received last summer, allowing the club to complete work ahead of this winter season.

“The trail work has already made a big difference to our members and the hundreds of winter tourists that travel to ski our trails,” Lambert said. “The quality of skiing on the renovated trails was excellent in the early season. Many of our members commented on the improved skiing conditions.”

MPP Laurie Scott was at Saturday’s celebration, saying the “Nordic trails are a treasured destination for residents and visitors” to the Haliburton region.

County resident Klara Oyler sits on the OTF grant review team. She said the Nordic club grant was one of 730 awarded to nonprofit groups across Ontario in 2025.

“We saw this as a good investment for the community,” Oyler said. “I think this has been a pretty good skiing season and now, with the work you’re doing with the grant, I hope you have many more to come.”

The unveiling coincided with the Highlands ski club’s annual Jack Rabbit parade. The HHNTA runs a two-month program every winter for children aged four to 12 to encourage them to get into skiing. Lessons run every Saturday in January and February at Glebe Park. The initiative has six levels, with local instructors – all volunteers – following national skill development programming.

Joleen Thomas, HHNTA membership coordinator, said about 80 kids participated in this year’s program. Registration opens in November.

“We are going on nearly 40 years of hosting this program locally in Haliburton,” Thomas said. “Cross-country skiing is one of the few activities families of all ages can do together… we are creating skiers for life.”

Lauren Adelsen, chair of the Stuart Baker Elementary School (SBES) parent council, said community spirit was on full display at Hal High last week, with 200 people supporting a foodie fundraiser designed to bring new playground equipment to SBES and J.D. Hodgson.

A ‘pasta for playground’ benefit was held in the high school cafeteria Feb. 26, adding approximately $10,000 to the kitty. Adelsen said that brings the total to $55,000 in just a few weeks, following a similarly successful poinsettia fundraiser over the holidays.

“I’m really floored by how generous the community has already been,” Adelsen said. “This is not just a school project, it’s something that benefits the entire community because the playground will be open to people after school hours and during the holidays… if everybody pitched in even a little amount, we would reach our goals that much faster.”

Adelsen said the group is hoping to raise $300,000 for the playground replacement. She noted the current pirate ship structure is nearing end-of-life and will likely “only last another year or two.”

There was support from all over the community last week, Adelsen said. As well as people pitching in money, the high school’s hospitality and tourism class prepared the meal, Haliburton Lions Club volunteers donated their time to serve the food, while Drew Allen offered his musical talents.

Several businesses donated gifts for a live auction, which runs until March 12. There are 15 items featured, available at: www.facebook.com/media/ set/?set=a.122095897880462327&type=3.

Starting out with the SBES parent council in 2023, Adelsen said a new playground has been on both school’s wishlists for some time. After two successful launch events, she said there will be more to come later this year.

“We’re looking at doing a garage sale in conjunction with the school’s annual track and field event. We’re also going to have a spring carnival at the end of the school year,” Adelsen said. “We’re really hoping to have the money to put up a replacement as soon as the current structure is torn down, otherwise the playground will be empty.”

The Canadian Automobile Sports Clubs (CASC) closed the book on its 2026 ice racing season in Minden March 1.

Director Elaine Willis said it was one of the most successful racing years in recent memory.

“We got all six weekends in and had a good turnout of drivers and volunteers.

As usual, the Kin Club did a great job creating and maintaining the track for us. It’s pretty amazing how quickly it goes by.”

The season ran Jan. 24 to March 1. As is tradition, CASC made a $1,000 donation to the Minden Community Food Centre, with Willis saying, “we are thrilled that we have been able to raise funds for the local food bank again.”

The money was generated by CASC offering rides to community members in its ice taxi, with longtime racers and volunteers also chipping in, Willis said.